


A Proposal On The Battlefield

by Live



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Like This Whole Fic Is A Spoiler For The End Of The Golden Deer Route, Marriage Proposal, Spoilers, Sweet, Wedding Rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 02:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Live/pseuds/Live
Summary: Claude's rarely been able to ask her the important questions first; he'll be damned if someone asks this of her before him.





	A Proposal On The Battlefield

There was a good deal of mud coating his face. He could feel it soaking into his goatee and seeping under his clothes. It would take numerous baths to wash it all away and those baths wouldn’t be pleasurable in the least; if the throbbing bruise hidden on his chest had anything to say. But, hey it was just a minor bruise; one that would have been a lot worse if Byleth hadn’t drilled into his mind the correct way to fall all those years ago. He’s glad Byleth had taught him that. It had made his scheming all the more versatile. He was gladder that Byleth was here, walking towards him after finishing off Nemesis (the kill of which he had perfectly set up for her).

She had the glow of dawn behind her; she always seemed to approach him as dawn broke. Her hair glowing white, yellow; orange in the light. As though her hair was the sun itself. Her eyes never caught the light though, facing away from the sun as she was. They always appeared endlessly dark, yet Claude always found himself staring at them hoping to catch a spark of light. A star lost amongst the night sky. She was the sky. A sky Claude longed to be lost amongst. Maybe that’s why he had learnt how to ride a Wyvern in her absence.

She holds her hand out to him, a beautiful smile on her lips. She’s never been one for words, that’s Claude’s job, but actions... she could say so much more than Claude ever dreamed of being able to say with her actions. Holding her hand out, smiling at him... it’s a sign of her friendship, of her solidarity; of her joy and relief. They had won. They were victorious. And they can rest. At last.

Peace had broken.

He grabs her hand with an eager grin. He can see the muscles in her legs, always so revealing his Teach, starting to tense. Preparing herself to bare his weight. He pulls her down before she’s finished. Not daring to verse her strength. 

“Ah-!” She startles, falling down on him. Heavily. 

He grunts. Probably not his best idea. She landed completely on his bruised chest, the sword of the creator barely missing his ear (definitely slicing a few stray hairs off). 

“Claude?” Byleth startles, the concern in her voice endearing (and so very, very rare. He’s always been privileged; having that emotion directed at him). 

Claude laughs. A laugh that pulls at his bruises and scrapes, but he doesn’t care. He throws one arm around Byleth’s waist; pulling her in close. Not caring about the mud he’s slathering over her not-so-surprisingly pristine form. Threads his other hand through her hair, directing her head to his neck. Hiding his ever growing blush from his Teach; not that he can hide it from the soldiers around them. But, he doesn’t mind that for now. He has something he needs to do first. Something important.

He takes a second to revel in the feel of her against him first though, he never could help himself when it came to his Teach. She’s warm against him, a steady weight... kind of heavy if he’s honest, what with all her muscles, but he likes that. Likes the feel of her weighing him down. Reassuring him she’s here. He doesn’t think he could live with her disappearing on him for another five years. It’s a heavy weight to bear, but... it’s worth it and he’s always been one for aiming high. This was definitely his best idea. 

“Teac- My friend- Byleth,” his voice is quiet, quieter in the cheering of the crowds around them, as their army realise they’ve won another impossible fight. “I have something I’ve been wanting to say... do you mind listening?”

He feels her nod against his collarbone. Her hair tickles his neck. He never wants this to end. He smiles. 

“I love you,” he starts. Starts big, it’s only going to get bigger. “With all my being, with all I am, I love you.”

He’s silent for a bit. Closes his eyes and enjoys his fingers brushing through her wild locks. There’s a few knots that need untangling; what with the way her hair flies all over the place as she fights. He sets deft fingers to work. Untangling what he can one handedly; refusing to remove his other hand from her waist. He hopes she can feel the love in his every movement. 

“I love you, so I’m going to leave,” he feels her head jolt up at that; her endless depths seeking his much less impressive mossy eyes. He tightens his grip, refusing to make eye contact yet. He can’t lose himself to her eyes; at one point they were an endless void of nothing, now they beseech of so much emotion. Claude is just weak to them. “Don’t worry Teac- Byleth, I’ll be back. I was never letting you go.”

He means it. With his whole heart. Truer words have never been said before. 

He lets her go. Pulling them both into a sitting position. Pulls out something he’s been keeping on hand for... well longer than he likes to admit. 

“I want to see a peaceful world with you. I... I admit I was planning on using you, after we discovered you could use the Sword of the Creator. Planned on using you until I created that peaceful world, but now... there’s so much I want to see with you. I want to create that peaceful world with you, so I have to leave for a bit. Use my...” here he has a quick look around. They’re in the middle of a battlefield, people could be listening in (people are listening in). “Other family’s connections to help. But I’ll come back. You’ve always got me Byleth.”

He holds out the ring he’s had on him for far too long. It’s green, probably not what anyone was expecting from him and... Well they’re similar to the colour of his eyes. He likes the idea of Byleth wearing something of him on her. 

“Can I always have you?” 

Unexpectedly. His Teach always was a surprise. Byleth fumbles with a pouch she keeps her inventory in. Her face is flustered; her hands shake and it’s glorious. Emotion on her; he means. 

Grabbing an item, she almost throws it at him (before seemingly thinking better of it). 

A ring. A silver ring encrusted with a purple motif. It... It just makes Claude think of Byleth. He wants it more than anything in the world.

“I guess we’ve always been surprisingly in sync,” he quips, because if he doesn’t he’s going to say something emotional. Or gushy. Or maybe just cry.

“Maybe not,” Byleth says, her voice quiet. Careful. As though she’s trying to suppress her feelings. Or maybe her emotions have just clogged up her throat; Claude can relate. “I was planning to wait until we returned to the monastery... ask to speak to you when everyone was celebrating maybe.”

“Ah, your patience astounds me,” he jests, but it’s partially serious. All throughout the war he’d been dying to tell her. To ask her. He’d resisted. Barely. Couldn’t divert his attentions like that when their lives were in danger. What he says next is completely serious. “But, I couldn’t risk it.”

“Risk it?” Byleth does that unbearably cute thing she does where her head tilts and her hand leans against her chin. It’s endlessly endearing; that inquiring face. 

“When we met I went for propriety. Planning to bide my time to ask you to work for me and...” Well it’s a little hard to think of them right now. When they just ended a war with the old house leaders, but... “Dimitri and Edelgard asked before I’d even got a word in. I couldn’t risk someone doing that. Not for this.”

Byleth smiles and it lights up the whole world. Gods. She’s going to be amazing. She is amazing. 

“If I may remind you; I turned them both down back then for you. I would’ve done the same for you this time,” he wants to argue that he couldn’t guarantee that. Wants to argue that there was never a guarantee they’d live, but... well he just wants to bask in her presence all the longer. His hands find her waist once again; probably his new favourite place. “Now shall we see if our rings fit?”

Claude has never torn his gloves off so fast, but it’s not surprising. There’s nothing more he’d like than to wear that sparkling silver ring. 

His ring doesn’t fit. A ring that was passed down to Byleth from her Father. It needs adjustments, which he has every intention of sorting out before he leaves the monastery. 

Her ring fits perfectly, but that’s not surprising. Claude had gone out of his way to make sure it would fit. Had it custom made for her. It looks amazing on her hand and he can’t stop staring at it. Holding her hand to just feel that metal against her flesh.

The proposal is perfect. Even with all the teasing Claude had to endure afterwards from their friends. The painting Ignatz made of that particular moment was well worth the embarrassment. Byleth was worth so much more than the embarrassment. 

Claude’s happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Finished the Golden Deer route a couple of days ago and have like 40 Byleth/Claude fic ideas!!!! It's probably gonna be EVEN MORE after I finish all the other routes, so expect a steady spam of this pairing from me XD 
> 
> On to the Black Eagles route now! I'm just hoping I don't have to kill my deer husband Claude (but I probably WILL HAVE TO AND IT WILL BE MORE THAN TRAGIC ;3;)


End file.
